Fedor’s Controversial Brother is Back in Action, Fighting for a Brutal Dictator in Chechnya…
Aleksander Emelianenko is back in action. Fedor’s brother is now fighting for the notorious Akhmat Fight Club promotion, owned by Chechynan dictator Kadyrov. The Russian has fought three times now under the dubious promotion.
Emelianenko is a former MMA fan-favourite. Although his brother Fedor is regarded as one of the greatest of all time, Aleksander was very popular in his own right, during his PRIDE days. However, it all went wrong for him when he was sentenced to three years imprisonment for rape. This basically ruined his reputation in Europe and the United States.
The Russian is riding a three-fight win streak in Akhmat. His most recent fight was on March 4 against Szymon Bajor during the Battle on Volga 3 event. Emelianenko dominated his opponent, using his height advantage and superior power to great effect. While he’ll never regain the respect he once had, he’s still a dangerous man.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf39Oi4lSM5/?hl=en&taken-by=alexemelyanenko
All Gone Wrong
The younger Emelianenko’s story is sad when you think of what could have been. He is alienated from his family and hasn’t spoken to his brother Fedor in ten years. Yet in his Pride days, he was a very decent fighter. When Fedor’s track record is considered, and the likes of other former Pride fighters like Nick Diaz, Aleksander could have gone onto much more.
He is his own worst enemy though. In 2008 he tested positive for hepatitis. This has caused him to be dropped by a couple of promotions, including Poland’s KSW, one of the biggest in Europe. Then Emelianenko was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison after he was charged with the sexual assault of his housekeeper, Polina Stepanova.
Chechen Move
While he didn’t serve the full sentence, his career trajectory was in ruins. Emelianenko was released in 2016 on parole for good behavior. With a brutal MMA career behind him, most people expected to see him back in the octagon.
Emelianenko is now fighting under Akhmat Fight Club’s rules. The promotion is led by Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen warlord notorious for human rights abuses, particularly towards homosexuals. With Emelianenko’s criminal history and hepatitis, we’ll never see him lighting up the likes of Bellator like his brother.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KngKRZzVpc&feature=youtu.be&t=4m20s
Dangerous Man
Emelianenko still has it though. In the video above you can see him overwhelm his opponent Szymon Bajor on the feet. He stalks him around the octagon, with Bajor swinging more and more desperately in an attempt to keep Aleksander back.
It’s all too late though. Emelianenko moves in with the uppercut, grounding his opponent. Then he lets loose with the ground and pound before the referee finally intervenes. The terrifying images show Bajor lying stiff and prone on the ground after Emelianenko walks away.
One thing is for sure, Emelianenko’s talent has been wasted. It’s unfortunate for him that his brother Fedor is widely regarded to be one of the best fighters never to have fought in the UFC. He’ll always be compared to his sibling. Fighting for a human rights abusing warlord is not the best way to show the world you’ve turned a corner.
